Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-04-14

had only intensified and deOpcned the
tale OF darkness that overshadowed IT,
Here once had been q happy homo, all
| filled with warmth and love and COM
fort whom the north winds blew, and
blossom m-cinctured in tho summer,
which some unknown hand, with an
appalling sin in IL as weapon, had
struck and crushed away into dark
ness and left to cold decay and DESC
lation. And the young man, standing
before It, had boon its heart of glad
ness once; lying mp in the big chamber
there in soft woods and iilmy linen with
halo Of sweet wishes about his svacant
head. What had not death bcreaved
him of He could not compass II, for
those far-off days TO him were rs empty
of any remembered thing as the gray
hollow of heaven which. without mo-
ton, or cloud or ileck. arched over
him.
He slowly crowded his way through
the tanglc and stood upon the wide
porch, which. moss-grown. dccayed
and sagged between the pillars, seemed
tipping away from the time-darkened
building. The doors and windows
were closed with heavyplanks. secured
by spike-nails and cross-bars of heavy
oak bolted into the wall. II seemed
strange that an empty house should
have been closed so securely against in
trusion.
For an hour John Earling walked
about the place and fingered gloomily
IN the dccaying out-buildings; then he
found an iron bar in what had been q
granary once and went to work on one
of the windows, and after working a
long time succeeded in opening IT,
When he stood within, il was with deep
est awe he gazcd about Here lay the
household things of those unremcm-
bered ones who gave him life. Sofas,
chairs, tables, silent clock; old-fash-
ioned vases wherein the flowers had
turned TO dust. moth-eaten rugs, and
carpet that parted under his feet like
line-chopped feathers, a tall carved
case of noldy books, brass candle
holders upon the wall, curious lamp
with prism pendants upon the mantcl.
and every thing thick with mold and
stain and rust and dust.
"This must have been the best room, :"
he thought, land have come home at
lastr'
The window hangings wero swing
ing in shrcds all patched and repatched
by the lace-weaving spider. and several
of the pictures had parted their cords
and were lying upon the floor. At
sight OF one of these he started forward
with cry; he thought it was his own
face, but il was the likeness OF a wom-
an. Near Il lay another. and at sight
Of that, too, he cried out again. for il
seemed a picture Of his own familiar
lineaments. Then it came suddenly
upon him who they were, and he
caught them NJ and ran palpitating to
the light and looked hungrily into their
faces.
Father! mother!' he cried, "Ohl /
have never known youl have never
seen you beforcr' and with a great
rush of feeling he kissed and strained
them to him. Then breathing fast he
sat them upon a table aud stood
gazing upon the silent faces.
Gloom and loneliness and de-
cay were all about him, aud
the whole longing of his life seemed
pressing in upon him. At sight of
these still faces the love which through
the long years had floated like bud OF
feeling within his consciousness broke
suddenly into quivering flower.
" Father! motherr' he cried, sinking
down in an agony Of grief before them,
"Oh! can | never come nearer TO you
than this? Must l never hear your
voices, never feel your kisses. never.
never. bear you call me son. OF tell me
| am welcome homeP OH who did
this awful wrong? Who robbed me
forever of you? It's too hardl it's too
hard!' and he wept like a child there
in the silence. Afterwards he stood a
long time leaning with bowed head
against the wnrm-eaten mantcl before
which his mother had waited on that
fatal night 50 long ago, and tried 10
fancy something Of the life which once
had filled the place with sunshine.
At last he found the stair and climbed
that creaking, cobweb-garlanded way
of gloom into the chambers above. In
some Of the rooms the plastcring had
fallen from half the ceiling. and little
light was iiltering through the lattice
of lath. showing that here and there
the roo had been eaten through by
rain and storm, and i'm one, near the
caves, the great branch Of an oak came
through like an elbow.
After a time he groped his way back
to the better lighted room he first en-
tered and looked slowly and reverently
through the old spidcr-hauntel case of
books. Some of the moldy volumes
had his mothers name upon the fly
leaf, and he took them down and
brushed them carefully and put them
back. In the drawers were letters and
papers, a few of which he took 10 the
window and examined. some under
standingly and with feeling Of near
ness TO the period when his parents
lived. Then he went out aud walked
about on the crown OF the hill where
Mrs. Trcsslcr had told him his parents
were inferred, but he could not find
their graves, and after looking awhile
az what their eyes must often have
rested upon. the great white valley of
The Ohio rolling its silver into the
south, he went sadly back TO the town.
What could this search be had en-
erred upon bring him in the end? !
Gould so old a mystery be soluble? |
Had he not better 90 back To Open
stone and to work? No; he was tired; |
he had not rested day in seven years;
le would go on, he cared not how |
slowly. Was not she to the south Of
limP
He had not thought Of going 10 the
city where Celeste lived, but his step
luickened as her slender, lmping fig |
ure fitted through his fancy, and |
looking up he saw the house where |
lvyl Snaer once lived. He looked at |
/ curiously, and wondered where or IL |
syer Le should see that being who |
had owned II. But another dweller |
leld II now, and he went onward to the
own.
After dinner he purchased a box OF |
and some candles aud re-
nrned 70 the old haunted house in the |